Beakers Information

Beakers are simple containers, usually cylindrical with flat bottoms and a lip for pouring. They are manufactured in various sizes and materials. Beakers are used for stirring, mixing, measuring, and heating liquids in a laboratory. This video shows several uses.

Video credit: HomeScience

Types

ASTM International provides specifications for five types of glass beakers, which generally break down into low form, tall form, and electrolytic. Low form (Griffin) beakers are 1.4 times as high as they are wide. Tall form (Berzelius) beakers are about twice as high as they are wide. Electrolytic beakers allow an electrical current to pass through the substance to produce a substrate.

A flat beaker or crystalizer features a greater surface area for more uniform heating/boiling out of liquids and better extraction of solids.

Specifications

Volume: Beakers can range in capacity from as little as 5 ml to as great as 10,000 ml.

Diameter: These specifications range from as small as 20 mm to as large as 230 mm (outside).

Material: Beakers come in various materials. In general, glass beakers have greater chemical and temperature tolerances, and are easier to sterilize. Plastic beakers are safer (little or no breakage), lighter, easier to store, and less costly. Metal beakers are safe, but are opaque and tend to be costly.

Glass: The most common material is borosilicate glass, which has a low expansion coefficient, excellent thermal performance, and high resistance to chemical attack. Pyrex (Corning) and Kimax (Kimble) are borosilicate glass brand names.